Executive & Business Coaching in Puerto Rico - Blog by Alex Fleming - Attorney at Law/Certified Coach and business advisor

12/01/2008

DELEGATE YOURSELF TO SUCCESS

Whether you are an entrepreneur in business for yourself or
an aspiring leader in a pubic corporation you must learn the skill of
delegation. In both instances it’s about getting others to do part of your work
efficiently and for a greater good.Small
business will not grow without others to take over part of your duties.In a large organization, you will not get
promoted very far unless you show the ability to be a lean manager that
effectively leverages and develops human resources.

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If you micromanage expect stress for yourself and
inefficiency and substandard results for the group you lead. You may spend
considerable time putting out fires, working long hours and searching for focus
while feeling saturated. Individual members might show lack of skills,
experience, motivation, trust and laggard performance.

People don’t delegate for many reasons including, a of lack of organizational skills, old
habits, reluctance to take risks, need to control, perfectionism,lack of trust and all sorts of fears such
as:being seen as lazy, competition,
asking others for help; plus- as with all processes- it often takes
considerable up-front effort toproperly
delegate and execute the tasks involved.

Statistics show that the majority
of employees are disconnected from their employer.In other words, they could care less whether
the company meets its goals.The good
news is that when businesses support their employees’ professional development
and personal wellbeing, their morale and commitment improves dramatically.

When you delegate appropriately,
you are providing employees the opportunity to develop their job skills.Yet, to skillfully pass tasks down the line,
you need to supply the necessary authority, specify the desired outcome and
comprehensively train the person who will be doing the job.You will let go of your control but will keep
an eye on performance.

Define and assess qualifications. Determine what
will you delegate- who, what, where, how. Administrative tasks are obvious choices.
Unless its necessary, avoid delegatingprocesses or methodologies.Instead focus on results. Evaluate whether the person has the skills and
tools necessary to complete the job.

Communicate Expectations. Discuss with those you
are delegating to, all the tasks that need to be completed and by when.
Make sure they are thoroughly understood including performance standards and
level of results required; never assume.

Get the employee’s commitment.When possible get your employee’s opinion into
consideration and obtain an agreement; negotiate if necessary. Employees will
be more committed to do the job when they feel that their opinion has been
taken into consideration.This may
involve a simple question like- ‘do you feel comfortable with this assignment’?
Or, ‘can you commit to that date’?

Delegate in increments.Explore the possibility of delegating in
increasing levels of authority; from basic to full delegation:

o1) Fact-find-Authority is limited to analyze & report all the facts alternatives so
that you can decide the appropriate response.

o(2) Recommend- The person has the authority to gather facts, and recommends a responsefor your approval.

o(3) Design- Here the person goes a step further
and designs the action plan in response to be carried out with your prior
approval.

Follow- Up. Monitor progress through follow up
reports and meetings. More frequently at the beginning, less at the end but at
a minimum make sure the person fully understand that they must report back when
encountering problems or unforeseen circumstances.

By becoming a competent
‘delegator’ you will make the best use of your time and skills allowing you to
focus on strategy, coordination and other high-value work. It is also an
opportunity to motivate employees since you are offering them to grow and
develop to their full potential by trying and testing their skills and resolve.
The end result will be increase performance from a group that will show respect
for your leadership skills.

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